This invention relates in general to a multiple purpose device which serves as an easel, a drawing board, and as a carrying case for art supplies and the like.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,224 is directed to a carrying case for art supplies which also provides a drawing board upon which drawings and sketches can be made. Although this case has proven to be highly convenient, it does not provide an easel and it is necessary for a separate easel to be used when painting is undertaken. Thus, an artist who may be drawing at times and painting at other times must take with him both the carrying case and a portable easel for use when painting.
Various types of portable easel devices have been proposed, including a device commonly known as a French easel. The French easel includes a tripod arrangement and a carrying case which unfolds to provide an adjustable easel. The primary drawback with the French easel is that it is a highly complicated and bulky device that requires a number of complex operations in order to set it up and take it down. Its complexity also makes the French easel so expensive as to be nearly prohibitive for most artists. The French easel is also rather awkward and difficult to carry in the folded position because the legs and the components of the easel structure are located on the exterior of the case where they can snag on clothes and other obstructions.
Another problem with the French easel is that the legs are lacking somewhat in strength and stability, particularly when they are fully extended or nearly fully extended as they normally are during use. As a result, the easel is susceptible to shaking and wobbling when it is supported on the legs. In the French easel, the painting supplies are not conveniently located in a storage area which is readily accessible to the artist working at the easel. Perhaps even more significantly, the French easel lacks a drawing board, and it is thus necessary to provide a separate drawing board if drawing or sketching is to be performed.
The present invention is aimed at eliminating the problems associated with French easels and other portable easel devices and has, at its principal goal, the provision of a versatile device which serves as a carrying case for art supplies and which also provides both an easel and a drawing board.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a portable easel device in which the legs and the components of the easel fold up in a manner to be conveniently stored in the carrying case.
Another object of the invention is to provide a portable easel device wherein the easel is readily adjustable as to its inclination and the size of the canvas it supports.
An additional object to the invention is to provide a portable easel device wherein the easel can be quickly and easily set up and taken down.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a portable easel device having a drawing board and a unique reversible hinge arrangement which permits the drawing board to be positioned on the same side of the case as the easel. Painting and drawing or sketching can thus be carried out from the same side of the device without interference from the third leg of the tripod leg structure.
A further object of the invention is to provide a portable easel device of the character described wherein the painting supplies are conveniently located relative to the easel and the drawing are conveniently located relative to the drawing board. Unlike the French easel and other known devices, the carrying case of the present invention provides compartments holding painting supplies immediately in front of the easel and compartments holding drawing supplies immediately in front of the drawing board. Consequently, the appropriate supplies are in an accessible location for both painting and drawing.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide, in a portable easel device of the character described, a sliding drawer for holding painting and drawing supplies on the side from which both painting and drawing are performed. The drawer can hold a folding palette and other painting supplies as well as drawing paper and other drawing supplies. Since the drawer is located on the same side of the device as the artist, its contents are readily accessible at all times. Additionally, the reversible box which is carried in the drawer permits the appropriate supplies to be conveniently positioned in relation to the artist.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a portable easel device wherein the upper section of the carrying case is a more functional part of the device than it is in French easels and other devices in which the upper section serves merely as a cover. In the present invention, the upper section provides the drawing board and the compartments that hold the drawing supplies, as well as serving as an easel support.
An additional object of the invention is to provide, in a portable easel device of the character described, an improved leg structure which enhances the strength of the legs and the overall stability of the device and which permits the leg to be quickly and easily folded up and disassembled for storage in the carrying case. The male-female joint provided between the upper and intermediate leg sections increases the rigidity of the legs and prevents wobbling and other unsteadiness of the easel and drawing board during use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a portable easel device which is simple and economical to construct and which can be supported either on the tripod legs or on a table or similar surface.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.